NO ONE TRULY KNOWS what was going on inside of Y/n's brilliant mind with herself as an exemption. She was a human embodiment of an enigma. She was open yet mysterious at the same time which caused some people to regard her with skepticism.
After the U.A tournament, her fame along with the sales of her company skyrocketed. She went viral globally on social media and she was met with praise and bitter hate. Though Y/n couldn't care less, she had a lot in mind. It was currently their first day of break and one would think she was celebrating her win but it was actually the contrary.
Todoroki, on the other hand, was also facing a dilemma of his own. His mind was all over the place and his body felt cold despite the sweltering weather due to nervousness augmented by each step that he took.
He paused and stared at the door before him that the receptionist pointed out where his mother was residing. He could hear his own heart beating rapidly inside his chest, he remained unmoving and was held back by hesitation.
A familiar voice suddenly eradicated his thoughts back to reality, cutting him off from his reverie. His gaze wandered around the white hallways of the hospital until his eyes landed on a figure he know well.
Y/n wore an expression that he's never seen before. An expression that expressed earnestness. Her eyebrows met at the bridge of her nose and her lips parted as she mumbled incoherent words under her breath. Todoroki arched a brow.
He had seen Y/n fight against villains, deal with Bakugo, draw abstract shapes — which he presumed an invention — filled with complexity and even got a berating from Aizawa yet not a single time he had seen her so deadly serious.
Except for now. Here she stood in a blank white hallway; her usual smirking face was replaced with a sedated look as she glacially glared at a vending machine.
It was a scenery one would least expect especially from a person such as Y/n. A young genius billionaire in an article of tawdry clothing, struggling with a vending machine at a hospital spewing curses as if chanting a ritual as she now started to slap her palm against the glass frame.
Turning on his heel, he walked towards his nettled classmate temporarily taking the dilemma off his mind. "Stupid. Useless. Fucking. Machine." he heard her curse followed by a push or slap with each word. Oblivious to the figure behind her, Y/n shook the machine ferociously in an attempt to let her stuck pack of snack fall.
After attempting and failing miserably, Y/n inhaled sharply before taking a few steps back only to bump into a body behind her. Y/n swiftly turned around to apologize, her eyes immediately widened upon seeing the double-quirked boy.
"You're going to break the vending machine if you continue doing that L/n," he spoke, his voice low and monotonous as ever. "You can recognize me?" Y/n gasped sounding rather fake yet with a slight tone of surprise.
Todoroki eyed her outfit for a moment. She was wearing a plain hoodie, pants, a black cap on her head, and a pair of dark sunglasses. A completely typical disguise of characters in movies.
"No, you're totally unrecognizable. Who are you again?" he replied, sarcastically. Y/n giggled and nudged his arm with her elbow. "Aw, you're learning from me. That's cute."
"Uhh, I wouldn't take it as a complement Mister Todoroki." her AI spoke, as the screen of her glasses flickered until it turned transparent displaying the genius' e/c eyes with faint dark circles under them and a vague purple bruise on her cheek.
Y/n rolled her eyes and proceeded to crouch down to stick her hand into the vending machine. "So what brings you here?" she asked, reaching for the snack.
"I could ask you the same thing."
Todoroki had never expected her to be in such a public place. If he were to think about what could she possibly do at the moment, he'd imagine her in a luxurious restaurant or in her sumptuous home partying with friends, celebrating her win.
Walking past her, Todoroki inserted a coin before scanning the vending machine. "I'd never expected to see you here out of all places," he admitted, pressing a button. "Frankly, I'd say the same too if I were you," she replied, groaning as she stood up followed by her jaw-dropping as she watched the box of juice that the boy chose fall along with her snack.
"Here." he handed her, her snack as he sipped at the box of milk that he bought nonchalantly. He watched her sigh in disbelief and ate her own snack. Both sat on the array of vacant chairs on the side of the hallway.
The two of them sat in silence. The sound of the food wrapper and the distant faint chattering of busy health workers and patients engulfed the awkward silence between them.
"You never answered my question." Y/n finally spoke, breaking the silence. "I'm here to visit someone," he replied. Y/n leaned at the wall behind her and turned her head to look at the bi-colored hair male. "Then why are you still here?"
Todoroki didn't answer. His hands once again became cold due to the remembrance of the reason why he was in the hospital in the first place. Y/n gave him a look of understanding knowing not to pry on his personal life and finished her snack.
"It's someone important to me." he continued, "I haven't talked to her in a very long time."
Y/n stayed quiet, allowing him to talk as his emotions poured out along with every word he said. "She's been imprisoned by my father this whole time." Todoroki didn't know why he was telling all of this to her; a person nothing more than an acquaintance and classmate.
Deep down in his chest, he felt a fresh emotion that not once had he felt before; nearly similar to a tingling feeling of need and comfort.
"I'm sure you already know about my family's case."
This made Y/n pause her chewing and looked away with widened eyes. "You and Bakugo don't make good spies. If you were put into one room, I doubt the two of you would come out uninjured or maybe even alive." He commented. The young genius giggled lightly having been exposed of eavesdropping in a private conversation.
"It's alright though." He dismissed, "Oddly, it felt somehow kind of nice that someone else other than my family knows about the issues going on within us."
Y/n hummed, "That's because sometimes it is better to let your feelings out and have someone there for you instead of bottling it up."
Todoroki glanced at her and his mismatched colored eyes met her e/c ones, emotions reflecting in them. At that moment, Y/n could confirm that eyes were truly the windows through one's soul. Behind his bi-colored eyes were unsaid emotions built and locked away for who knows how long.
"You should go to your mother, and tell her what you need and want to say."
Todoroki bit the inside of his cheeks, now feeling warm and at ease. "What about you? Why are you here?" He asked. Y/n blinked a few times as tons of false reasons ran through her mind, "I also visited someone." Todoroki gazed at her for a moment as if inspecting her every action looking for any indication that she was lying.
"Oh, okay." He replied, buying her lie. Y/n internally sighed in relief. "You should go home and get some rest you look tired," he added.
It was true. Y/n was exhausted both physically and mentally. Her eyes were burning, begging her to close them; she no longer had that usual lustering confidence but her tenacious demeanor still remained and if one would look painstakingly she looked rather close to being sickly.
"You're right," she groaned as she stood up, her muscles stretched from straightening her posture. "My guardian should be here soon. Happy, you met him. As you can already tell he's not really... well, happy."
Todoroki nodded his head and stood up. "I'll be going as well."
For the very first time, Y/n gave him a smile full of warmth and patted his back, guiding him towards the door of his mother's room where he previously stood. Giving him one final sultry smirk she said, "Go fix your family, pretty boy."
Todoroki watched as her figure slowly shrank as their distance widened. Growing up in a dysfunctional family isn't easy, it takes a mental and physical toll. All throughout his years growing up, Todoroki became reserved and almost constricted with emotions.
He didn't have anyone to rely on except for himself. He was told not to show any weakness and even if he was told to, Todoroki would never do such a thing given that he loathed showing even a sliver of vulnerability.
However, this time with his small encounter with the young genius, it was peculiar and quite eerie. She didn't directly say or did anything to comfort him, yet the moment that their gaze met her e/c eyes telepathically told him that she knew that he needed someone to be there for him.
A feeling of warmth bloomed inside of his chest and for the very first time in years, his lips curved into a gentle smile full of solace.
"Honestly Sero, if I want to have a laugh I'd rewatch this video of Bakugo making his hero names."
"WHAT THE FUCK PLANKTON?! YOU RECORDED IT?! I'M NOT THE ONE NAMED 'IRON WOMAN' BASIC BITCH!"
"Mine may sound basic but at least it doesn't sound like a snotty kid's username in fucking Roblox! 'King Explosion Murder' what are you five?!"
"Can you problem children shut up for a moment so we can get this over with?" Aizawa grumbled, glaring at the two bickering students. Y/n and Bakugo, along with the rest of the class who heard it, immediately quieted down out of surprise.
"Finally." Aizawa sighed before proceeding, "You've got your costumes, right?"
"Yeah!"
"All of you, be on your best behavior. Now go. And don't slur your 'Yeah', Ashido."
Y/n, who was already in her suit of armor, scanned the argot of heroes in training until her eyes landed on a figure she was looking for and marched towards them.
"Hey Iida." the bespectacled boy turned upon hearing his name being called by the young genius. Even with a single glance at him, she could already tell that he was in distress and the usual lively gleam on his face was now long gone.
"I heard about your brother. I hope he gets well soon." Y/n said. A shadow momentarily loomed over his face which erupted uneasiness in her stomach not really used to the class representative being out of character.
"Thanks," he replied, shortly. Iida abruptly turned and started to walk away before the conversation could escalate.
"I heard you were interning in Hosu City."
This made him halt in his tracks. He could feel the faint trembling on his knees as anxiety slowly crept up on him like a shadow towering over him.
"An elite student from Somei Private Academy," Y/n started taking a step as she shortened their distance. "the current class president of the hero course's class 1-A," her voice had a taunting tone as if provoking him to explode. "Known for being a role model student interning in a common hero agency and the only thing that he could probably learn from there is how to organize his glasses."
Y/n smirked, "Quite odd, don't you think?"
Iida tightly gripped the sling of his bag as her words taunted- mocked - him. It was boiling his anger. His mind was screaming at him that Y/n didn't know what it felt like to have a loved one being in the brink of death. He wanted to yell at her, bawl out, anything other than standing motionless but he knew that deep inside his heart that she has the right to do so and he deserved her gibes. Because beneath his perfect student facade, there hid an ill intent that's urging to be done.
"With all due respect, my choices aren't really any of your business." Iida stated in a strained voice, "Now if you excuse me I have to go and I think you should too."
Y/n watched him walk away with a stern gaze. He was right yet she couldn't help but feel a tad bit offended but then again his or anyone's choices isn't any of her business.
Y/n took a deep breath before she opened the mahogany door and entered the room to meet her chosen pro hero to intern with. A cool artificial breeze brushed against her face as her heart leaped in excitement upon seeing the pro hero.
There stood in front of her was a short woman with toned skin. A body very well toned with thighs and defined bicep muscles. She looked like she was crafted by the hands of Aphrodite herself and was created as a personification of the word alluring. She was so alluring that Y/n's eyes were glued unto her. The pro heroes' red eyes lit up as she batted her long eyebrows at the teen.
"Hello L/n!" she greeted with a huge grin. "If you don't mind this is a temporary lounging, I don't have an office yet."
"I don't mind at all." Y/n replied, "I know you travel all around Japan so it's a great honor that you wanted to intern with me."
Mirko cackled. "I heard a lot about you from a friend of mine." she went towards the young genius and swung her arms on the latter's shoulder as she led the way. "And from what I saw during the Sports festival, I just knew that I needed to train you!"
Y/n gave an awkward smile as she struggled to walk with the pro hero placing extra weight on her shoulder. "I don't usually wanna do hero work with someone but when I saw you I think you and I are the same! Don'tcha think so too?!"
"Yeah," she replied, awkwardly. Mirko was tough and quite aggressive when speaking. Y/n was quite overwhelmed with her personality but could somehow relate to her.
"Enough dilly-dally!" she squealed, "Let's get right into it! I wanna see whatcha really made of! Let's see your combat skills first."
"Don't use your robot!" Y/n nodded and prepared her combat posture. "Remember to not hold back!" said Mirko, grinning.
Y/n's expression hardened and mirrored her mentor's grin. "Trust me, I won't."
Mirko's ruby eyes blazed with excitement and eagerness as her grin widened. To say that she was exhilarated would be an understatement, she couldn't wait to mold the young genius into the highly skilled martial artist that she pictured inside of her mind.
However, like any other pro hero, she also had a selfish motive. Mirko is prepared to die at any given moment and it was apparent that Y/n was the next top pro hero in their generation so by training her, she could guarantee that her name would endure for future generations.
The next few hours were pure hell for the young genius. Mirko was ruthless and her combat skills were clearly above Y/n's. Her punches and kicks left bruises on the young teen's body and it was evident that Mirko wasn't exactly a good teacher given that she rarely worked with anyone. Their endless training went on for hours and eventually turned into days.
Y/n felt a tinge of regret that she chose this pro hero as she was covered with patches of fresh bruises and her physical exhaustion reached her soul. Y/n mentally cried when the pro hero told her that she didn't have anywhere for them to rest for the day and she ended up having to fly towards her opulent gigantic building.
"I can't believe this! The betrayal!"
Y/n grumbled in annoyance. Her eyes were burning and her entire body was sore from the unmerciful activity for the past few days. Hence, they decided to patrol for the day and coincidentally they met a dear friend of theirs.
"Come, on! You don't really think she'd wanna learn from you?!" Mirko teased. "Excuse you, I am a better mentor than you!" huffed the red-winged pro hero, Hawks.
"I mean look at her!" Hawks pointed at the young genius, weariness clouded her features. "She's basically asking me for help with that look! To top that, she's covered in bruises and she's too sore to even run a lap and it was her first day!"
Mirko felt heat rise on her cheeks in embarrassment. She knew that she made a mistake by allowing her excitement to take control of her and jumped right away into training her poor student.
Y/n slid inside her suit and continued on her errand along with her bird-headed classmate, Tokoyami. Leaving the two bickering pro heroes behind. "What are they children?" scoffed Y/n, hearing their continuous exchange of insults.
"They kinda remind me of you and Bakugo," commented Tokoyami. "I-," Y/n paused not knowing what to retort, and was too tired to think, "No."
"Hey Y/n, blink twice if you need help." Hawks sternly commanded. "Brainless bird! She has her mask on!"
A crowd noticed their presence. All heads turned in their direction and the two pro heroes immediately flashed them charming grins. Hawks flapped his wings and Mirko's bunny ears perked up, both showing their unique and distinct features as they stood boldly beside each other.
The crowd immediately erupted into cheers and excited squeals running in their direction. Both pro heroes unconsciously perked up but became confused as the crowd went pass them.
"Ironwoman can we take a picture of you?!"
"Oh my god, I still can't believe you're not fictional!"
"My son adores you! Do you mind giving an autograph?"
"Ironwoman!"
A sea of people flocked around the young genius who was flustered at the sudden attention. The two pro heroes could only blink dejectedly as they were completely ignored. Tokoyami, who managed to escape the crowd, chuckled along with his quirk, Dark Shadow.
Y/n posed for pictures and signed autographs. She couldn't believe the amount of admiration and love that she was getting. She was used to being a random person blending in the crowd, not being crowded by people who, as they said, admired her.
Out of nowhere, the media popped up. "Ironwoman! What would you like to say to your fans?!" a reporter asked.
"I think the word 'fans' is a strong word." Y/n timidly laughed. "But I do want to say that I'm doing my best in everything that I do and will continue in influencing and serving society."
"Recently you've gone viral online and people have been saying that you're the Davinci of our time. What can you say about that?"
"I don't paint."
"He also does engineering, Miss. And is in fact known for his futuristic inventions."
"Oh, then thank you so much I'm flattered." Y/n noticed their confused expressions and promptly replied, "That was my AI, Jarvis." The reporters immediately scribbled down the newfound information.
Y/n felt someone touching her leg and turned around to see a young boy holding a toy gun as he looked at the suit that she was wearing in awe. "Nice potato gun," she said.
"Oh my god, I'm really seeing Iron woman with my own two eyes." He said with widened eyes, "And yeah, I created this myself." He hugged his toy gun as a way of showing off.
"Barrel's a little long. Between that and the wide gauge, it's gonna diminish your FPS."
The young boy narrowed his eyes with his lips slightly pouting, "I would like to show you an example if it weren't for all these people."
"You're a sassy little thing aren't you?" Y/n smirked, "Alright kid, what do you need?"
The boy took off his backpack and rummaged through it until he took something out of it. He handed it to the young genius and took it to examine the object.
It was a 3D copy of the suit that she was currently wearing; made out of cardboard and was messily colored with colored pencil. What surprised her the most, however, was the details that the young kid had managed to copy despite not having seen it in real life. Y/n signed the bottom of its foot before handing it to the kid.
"Will I be able to see you again?" He asked desperation and eagerness twinkled in his eyes as he batted them as if attempting to look cute. Though, Y/n wasn't buying his cutesy attempt.
"Are you trying to look cute so that I'd promise or say something sentimental?"
"It was worth a shot."
Y/n was amused, laughed and took his hat off, and ruffled his hair. "Hey!" He pouted and took his hat back. "Say, you're a smart kid. Maybe one day I might need your assistance."
"I hope so."
"I gotta go, see you around kid." Y/n walked past the crowd who was slowly departing, surprisingly respecting their privacy, and went back towards her mentor but was momentarily halted when she heard a voice.
"Harley." Y/n turned around to see the same kid, gripping the 3D copy of the iron suit in his chest. "My name is Harley."
"Well, see you next time Harley."
Arriving at her three companions, Hawks let out a deep chuckle. "You looked kind of old interacting with the kid."
"Now you know what you look like around me."
"HA!" howled Mirko followed by a laugh.
The rest of the patrol was filled with animated chatters and mirthful laughter. They managed to patrol through the city and went towards another one — Hosu city to be exact.
"What is she your sugar mommy?" Mirko asked, jokingly.
"It's just compensation for betraying me." Hawks moaned, "Besides, I don't have enough money for chicken nuggets."
"This is why I interned with Bugs Bunny over here." Y/n laughed, gesturing at the pro hero. "Alright, my treat."
"Yes!"
The quartet stopped at the nearest fast food restaurant for a short break after the long day's patrol and satisfied their stomachs to their heart's content. Though, Y/n noticed the winged pro hero giving her furtive glances, mainly towards her chest - her arc reactor - with emotions dancing in his eyes with his expression glooming nearly similar to guilt, worry, and regret.
Waiting in line, she noticed that the man beside her was constantly glancing her way. She thought that he was a fan or just so happened to recognize her but his rather odd appearance drew her towards him.
He had the features of a young man with brown hair and thin eyes with small golden irises. But what caught her attention the most was his red old-style magenta and gold plague mask making him nearly look like the plague doctor.
"Excuse me." the man spoke noticing her gazing at his mask. It wasn't new to him though, people would constantly stare at him for wearing such odd items but he usually disregard them. They weren't much of importance to him, Y/n on the other hand was a different case. The young genius raised a brow at him as he went behind her.
His arm snaked around her waist and with his other hand, he lowered his mask and leaned against her ear. "I'd love to have a quick chat with you," he said, his voice deep and commanding.
She sternly gazed into his golden eyes that held a much deeper intent and it was enough to let Y/n know that he was no ordinary citizen.
A notification interrupted the tension and Y/n took out her phone and saw a text message from Midoriya containing only an address quite far from her current location.
"Is that your boyfriend?" the stranger asked, the grip on her waist tightened. "I think he can wait for a couple of minutes."
Y/n immediately caught on to this stranger's subtle heinous qualities. He was able to blend in the crowd and managed to subtly threaten her with his sickening sweet tone without anyone noticing.
She had to admit, Y/n was quite intrigued and curious about what he had to say because, hypothetically, if he were some villain it's not every day you see them confronting heroes and wanting them to listen to what they had to say in a civil manner.
Placing her phone back in her pocket, Y/n gave him a forced virulent smile and gazed directly into his eyes.
"Lead the way. But this better be worth my time. If not then I might just have to do something that we both know you don't want to be done to you." Y/n whispered, her eyes traveling across his devilishly handsome face. "What I'm trying to say here is,"
Y/n took his hand that was resting on her waist and gripped it tightly as her lips tugged upwards seeing his face beginning to scrunch in pain. She maliciously laughed before whispering once more, this time her voice held venom in them.
"The one who should feel threatened here is you."